Oral appliances that allow drug delivery to the oral cavity have been developed that have a reservoir to hold liquid medicaments or a cargo area that have a foam disposed in the cargo area for delivery of the drug to the oral cavity. These oral appliances are available in universal sizes to generically fit adults or are custom made for a precise fit to the teeth and gums of the individual patient.
Oral appliances that are provided in universal sizes often do not adequately match the patient's actual oral cavity characteristics. This can lead to poor contact in areas where such oral appliances are adapted to deliver the drug. Custom made oral appliances present a better fit to the patient's oral cavity since they are fabricated to match the actual oral cavity in which they are employed.
Based on the above, new oral appliances are needed that improve measurement of the biological activity occurring in the oral cavity, for example, saliva activity, pressure, oxygen content, temperature, pH, bacteriologic/viral/cellular assays, gingival/periodontal fluids and exudates or other bodily fluids or exudates such as phlegm or sputum or other parameters in order to more accurately treat diseases on an individual basis. Such oral appliances may be easily manufactured and, in some embodiments, based on the patient's actual oral cavity architecture so that they are easy and comfortable for the patient to wear, or the oral appliance can be a universal fit appliance for the person to wear.